Kujaku myōon

This painting by Arai Kanpō is believed to depict a Karyōbinga, celestial beings from Buddhist cosmology renowned for their exquisite voices. Also known as the Myōen bird in Japanese, or kalavinca in Sanskrit, they typically have a human head, a bird’s torso, and long, flowing tail feathers. In Kanpō’s painting, one hovers next to a peacock by a pond, carrying an instrument. Influenced by Taikan’s mōrōtai technique, Kanpō’s hazy brushwork beautifully captures these beings’ ethereal nature.